The invention disclosed herein pertains to an apparatus for transferring a weight of a chain link wire fabric to a top rail of a chain link fence.
A conventional method for stretching and tensioning a chain link wire fabric of a chain link fence is to have a first workman walk up and down a length of the fence and lift the wire fabric off the ground in order to free it from ground entanglements, while a second workman stretches the fabric. The work performed by the first workman, i.e., lifting the wire fabric off the ground to free the fabric from ground entanglements, is necessary if the work performed by the second workman is to result in a uniform stretching and tensioning of the wire fabric.
Various apparatus for tensioning a wire fabric of a chain link fence are known. An apparatus for tensioning a wire fabric of a chain link fence and for fastening the wire fabric to a fence or gate post, is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 1,738,609, issued to Pivonski et al. This apparatus includes a stretcher bar which is interlocked with a margin of the wire fabric, and a fastening and tensioning device between the stretcher bar and the fence or gate post. The fastening and tensioning device includes a shank having a hook portion in engagement with the stretcher bar, and a threaded portion which is seated in an aperture in a wall of the fence or gate post. A nut-like element, having a longitudinally divided tapering body, encircles a segment of the threaded portion of the shank, and is also seated in the aperture of the fence or gate post. A head of the nut-like element bears against an opposing outer surface of the fence or gate post.
Various apparatus for stringing power lines are known. One such apparatus for stringing power lines is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,908,962 issued to Ross. This apparatus includes first and second generally C-shaped brackets which are connected to one another, and spaced apart, by spacers. Connected to an upper portion of the C-shaped brackets is a shaft which supports a pulley, which pulley engages a messenger wire. Rotatably suspended from a post, which post connects a lower portion of the first C-shaped bracket to a lower portion of the second C-shaped bracket, is a generally diamond-shaped spacer, which spacer includes three hook-shaped recesses for receiving three wires.
Various devices for tensioning fence wires, or for stringing cables, are also disclosed in the following patents: U.S. Pat. No. 2,575,947 issued to Etnyre; U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,715 issued to Vugrek; U.S. Pat. No. 687,727 issued to Collins; and U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,650 issued to Jackson.
Considerable savings in time and money could be effected if the stretching of a chain link wire fabric of a chain link fence could be accomplished by one workman, instead of two workmen. That is, considerable savings could be effected if a lone workman could both lift the wire fabric off the ground and simultaneously tension the wire fabric.
Accordingly, a primary object of the present invention is to provide a method and apparatus for transferring a weight of a chain link wire fabric to a top rail of a chain link fence, thereby allowing a lone workman to uniformly tension the wire fabric.
Apparatus according to the present invention for transferring a weight of a chain link wire fabric to a top rail of a chain link fence includes a generally L-shaped or a generally C-shaped frame. Connected to a lower leg of the frame is a relatively straight, rectangular bar which includes at least one hook, which hook is to be inserted into the wire fabric. A shaft is rigidly connected to an upper portion of the frame, and a guide roller is rotatably mounted on the shaft. The guide roller is to be mounted on the top rail of the chain link fence.